


Draco Malfoy and the Worst Detention Ever

by GryffindearNRB7



Series: Draco Malfoy and the Time I was the Protagonist, and Harry Potter was Just the Love Interest [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Book 1: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Draco Malfoy & Harry Potter Friendship, Gen, M/M, Other, POV Draco Malfoy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-12
Updated: 2016-03-12
Packaged: 2018-05-26 08:37:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,437
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6231817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GryffindearNRB7/pseuds/GryffindearNRB7
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Draco Malfoy had never been one to admit he was wrong, but as McGonagall yanked him by his ear down the astronomy tower corridor, he had to admit he might have gone a bit too far.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Draco Malfoy and the Worst Detention Ever

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time writing fan fiction, ever, so be sure to leave a comment and let me know what you think! I'm going to write one for each book of the series as I re-read them for about the billionth time. This will be a slow burn romance. I don't think they'll fully get together until after the war, but you'll definitely see a lot of moments leading up to a romantic relationship.
> 
> Disclaimer: The Characters, Settings, and some of the dialogue belong to the wonderful JK Rowling, of course. You all know I didn't create the Harry Potter characters or the world they populate.

Draco Malfoy had never been one to admit he was wrong, but as McGonagall yanked him by his ear down the astronomy tower corridor, he had to admit he might have gone a bit too far.

“You don’t understand, Professor. Harry Potter’s coming - he’s got a dragon!” As soon as the words left his mouth, he knew how ridiculous he sounded. But it was too late to go back.

McGonagall looked as if she could spit fire. “What utter rubbish! How dare you tell such lies! Come on - I shall see Professor Snape about you, Malfoy!”  
Draco wanted to sink through the floor. Maybe they’d get lucky and happen upon a trick step. If she told Snape, his father was sure to find out! He should have known better than to try to explain to McGonagall that her precious Potter was actually an evil, overconfident git.

As he lay in his bed that night, after Snape had sentenced him to detention and written to his parents, he plotted ways to take Potter down a peg or two. Potter had embarrassed him for the last time, of that he would make certain.

***  
As soon as Filch told them they’d be going into the forbidden forest with the oaf, Draco felt his blood go cold. “The forest?” He couldn’t even be bothered to care that his voice had gone a bit squeaky. “We can’t go in there at night - there’s all sorts of things in there-” He remembered some of the stories the older students had told the first years. He’d thought they were full of it, just trying to scare them, but now, he wasn’t so sure. “-werewolves, I heard.”

He barely heard Filch’s response-he was too busy imagining himself being attacked by a large beast with fangs and claws. He shook himself as Filch left them with Hagrid.  
“I’m not going in that forest.” He knew he shouldn’t panic in front of Potter, stupid git was probably eating this up, but he couldn’t help it.

Hagrid answered him, Merlin’s beard, he could barely understand that half-wit. He argued his case the best way he knew how, “But this is servant’s stuff, it’s not for students to do. I thought we’d be copying lines or something, if my father knew I was doing this, he’d-” Hagrid interrupted him, and Malfoy glared at the hulking gameskeeper. He’d clearly offended the man. “Keep this up, Draco,” he thought to himself, “and he’ll leave you to be devoured by hungry werewolves in there.”

He trudged off behind Longbottom, trying and failing not to jump at every little sound. The more they walked, the angrier he got. This was so unfair! Sending students, especially a pureblood such as himself, into the forest to do a servant’s job! He would write to his father, show that oaf and Dumbledore that they weren’t in control.

As his anger slowly fizzled out, he began to be bored. Longbottom was trembling as he walked, and looked as though he might piss himself at any moment. Suddenly, inspiration struck. He grinned wickedly to himself as he reached out suddenly and grabbed Longbottom from behind. He was rewarded with a shriek as Longbottom shot up red sparks. He laughed hysterically as the round-faced boy glowered at him. The laughter, however, died on his lips as Hagrid came barreling down the path, crossbow out, rage written on every line of his face.

He smirked to himself as the giant man shouted at him, half dragging them through the woods back to where Potter and Granger were huddled together, waiting. His smirk turned to a grimace as he was paired with Potter, and they set off into the woods in silence.

They walked for what seemed ages, neither deigning to speak to the other as the silvery unicorn blood became more and more present on the path. It was actually beautiful, in a macabre kind of way. 

Draco was walking along, mesmerized by the splashes of silver when Potter’s arm suddenly shot out in front of him. Draco opened his mouth to tell him to move, but Potter spoke first, in a still, low murmur, “Look-” Draco looked up and was met with the most heartrendingly beautiful sight he’d ever seen. Lying on the ground, it gleamed pure white in the moonlight. He could tell it was already dead. Its legs were bent at odd angles and its mane was spread in a curtain around it. He wanted to cry. “It’s beautiful,” he whispered. He turned to see Potter staring at him oddly, then noticed a tear had escaped and slid down his cheek. He brushed it away and cleared his throat, he refused to be embarrassed in front of someone as irritating as Potter. “If you ever tell anyone about this, I’ll make you wish you were dead.”

Potter smirked, “Scared people won’t treat you like a pure-blood, Malfoy?”

Draco huffed and turned back to the unicorn, “I don’t care if students think badly of me. It’s my father that worries me.” He clapped his hand over his mouth and glanced at Harry, but Potter just shrugged.

“Your secret’s safe with me, Malfoy.”

Draco searched his face and decided he was telling the truth. He cleared his throat again, “So do you want to send up the sparks, or should… I…” He trailed off as the blood drained from Harry’s face. “Potter?” He whirled around to see an ominous, cloaked figure crossing the clearing and bending over the unicorn and, oh… oh no… Malfoy didn’t realize he was screaming until he heard, as if from a great distance, his own voice tearing from his throat. He grabbed Potter’s arm and tried to pull him away, but the idiot was doubled over on the ground, his head in his hands.

The hooded figure raised its head and began to slither towards them. Draco thought they were both dead, but the sound of hooves filled the clearing behind them. A large horse leapt over their heads and charged at the figure, scaring it away. Harry fell to the ground, pressing his palms into his forehead. What in Merlin’s name was wrong with him? The horse turned and walked toward them, and Draco realized it wasn’t, in fact, a horse, but a centaur. Great, his father would be thrilled to hear that the kind of intelligent being who decided it wanted to be classified as a beast (a BEAST, for Merlin’s sake!) had just saved his pure-blood son’s life.

Draco and the centaur pulled Potter to his feet, while the centaur introduced himself as Firenze and asked if they were harmed. He lowered to allow Potter to climb on his back right as another centaur charged angrily into the clearing and began yelling at Firenze for allowing a human to ride on his back. He didn’t even seem to care that it was the famous Harry Potter. After a brief spat, and a lot of racist comments, Draco was seething. How dare that mule speak about wizards that way! As if a mutated horse could ever be better than a wizard.

Finally, they left the angry centaur behind and began to trudge back toward Hagrid. Draco was having a hard time following the conversation after everything that had just happened, but he did gather that Firenze and Potter both seemed to believe that the cloaked figure had been You Know Who. But that was impossible, he was dead, he couldn’t be back.

Firenze stopped talking for a long time, and Draco shuffled closer to Harry. “You alright, Potter?”

Harry looked up in surprise, “Yeah… yeah, I’m fine, Malfoy… Thanks.”

Malfoy nodded and they continued in silence until they found Hagrid.

As they later made their way across the grounds back to the castle with Granger and Longbottom, Potter met his eyes with a look of befuddled gratitude and nodded. Draco froze, but after a moment, slowly nodded back.

***

In the weeks that followed, they didn’t speak to one another again, but they didn’t antagonize each other either. When Draco heard that Harry was in the hospital wing after facing You Know Who, he didn’t visit him, but he realized, with a twinge of annoyance, that he was actually worried for Potter’s well-being. 

And when Dumbledore awarded Gryffindor with the house cup at the end of year feast, Draco couldn’t find it in himself to be angry at Harry for stealing the victory. Maybe he had judged Potter too harshly. They would never be friends, of that he was certain, but maybe they didn’t have to be rivals either.

The End, For Now


End file.
